I am SO EXCITED to tell you guys about the latest addition to the Planetbox collection called the Shuttle. This box is perfect for those with smaller appetites, or those wanting an on the go snack.

It’s smaller in comparison to the Rover and Launch, but still roomy enough to offer packers the ability to have variety.

Here it is alongside the Rover.

Here it is alongside the  Launch.

A few months ago, I did a review on the Launch, which breaks down the dimensions for comparison.

My daughter has gymnastics practice 4 days a week, for 4 hours. Packing a nice lunch in the Shuttle is perfect for her, because it is not too big and bulky, and fits perfectly in her cubby.

Here are 2 lunches I packed for her using the Shuttle.

Chicken Trottole Pasta in Cream Sauce

Mushroom & Spinach Calamari Pasta

This box is awesome, and the perfect addition to my Planetbox collection.

Enjoy!!

Rox

Disclaimer: I received this complete SHUTTLE Planetbox for personal use and review purposes from Planetbox without charge. All opinions and input are STRICTLY my own, and were not influenced by Planetbox. I do realize that this box may not be for everyone, but in my opinion, it is a great lunchbox, and with proper care will last you a long time.

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Right now there seems to be an abundance of mangoes in the grocery store. You know, those REALLY BIG ONES, that you have to cut in 1/2 and save the rest for later (at least I do). I tend to get excited whenever I see them on sale, but end up buying WAY TOO MANY, since I am literally the only one eating them in my house.

Hating to waste a good mango, I’ve decided to slice them up and use in drinks/smoothies.

I love a good mango lassi, and order them whenever I am at an indian restaurant. I love the tanginess of the yogurt, and the sweet flavor of the ripe mango. It’s truly the perfect combination if you love yogurt and mangoes.

This drink is super easy to make, and healthy for you. WIN-WIN in my book. Make it, and be sure to tell me if you like it

Mango Lassi

2 cups ripened diced mangoes (skin removed)..Can also use frozen mangoes
2 tablespoons honey
1 cup vanilla greek yogurt
2/3 cups low fat milk
Sprinkle of freshly ground cardamon

Throw everything into your Nutribullet, and blend until it is a creamy consistency. Once done, serve immediately.

Enjoy!!

Rox

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Do you shop at stores like Marshall’s & TJ Maxx?  If so, do you ever venture into their food section?  Whenever I visit these stores, I make a point of checking out what’s in their food section.  Most times, I find a new sauce/seasoning that I am interested in trying.  And since a lot of the items are $4.99 or less, I don’t feel as though I’m wasting money.

On a recent visit, I stumbled upon this pasta on clearance for $2.50.  I love pasta, and cook it at least once a week.  I’d never seen this type of pasta before, and at $2.50, I couldn’t pass it up.  When looking at the cooking directions, I noticed that none was written in english. But fear not, I just used my pasta making judgement….LOL

I used about 1/2 the package, and boiled in lightly salted water until al dente.

While pasta was boiling, I sauteed about 1 1/2 cups of bella mushrooms in a little cooking oil, and seasoned with salt/pepper. In another pan, I added about 1 cup diced onion and some cooking oil, and placed on medium heat. Once onions were soft, I added about 3-4 cups baby spinach, and about 2-3 cups baby kale to pan. I sauteed until veggies started to wilt. Once wilted, I removed from heat, and seasoned with salt/pepper.

To serve, I added some mushrooms and the spinach-kale blend onto some of the pasta and tossed. I then sprinkled some shredded parmesan cheese on top.

Enjoy!!

Rox

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What’s your FAVORITE pizza topping?  When I asked this question on my Facebook wall, it seemed like everyone who responded gave a different answer.  My FAVORITE pizza is a thin crust pepperoni and spicy italian sausage.  Whenever I go out for pizza, that is what I order.

But today was different.  My kids wanted pizza, but I didn’t feel like going out for pizza.  At the start of summer vacation, I told them that I would teach them how to cook.  So instead of going out for pizza, we stayed  home and made our own pizza from scratch.

My kids wanted the typical cheese and pepperoni pizza, but I wanted something different. It’s been stated numerous times on my blog how much I love asian food. So it was only fitting for me to create a pizza with an asian flair.

I love everything about this pizza. From the crust, to the sweet and tangy onions, to the spicy cilantro shrimp. It’s the kind of pizza you’ll never find on a typical pizza menu, but if you did, you’d want to order it.

So enough teasing you with all of these pictures, here is how you make this pizza……

First, you need a great pizza dough. This is hands down one of my favorite pizza doughs. And using my bread maker, makes making it so much easier.

Now for the other part of this recipe……

Spicy Cilantro Shrimp Pizza

Ingredients

4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 1/2 cups thinly sliced onion
1 tablespoon organic sugar
2 1/2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
3 teaspoons minced garlic, divided
1 pound raw and shelled medium shrimp
1-2 tablespoons hot chili sauce
6 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro, divided
pizza dough (homemade/store bought)
shredded mozzarella cheese
cherry tomatoes,chopped
salt/pepper

Add 2 tablespoons olive oil to a saute pan, and place on medium heat. Add onions and sauté. Reduce heat to low, and sauté until onions are dark brown. Once brown, add sugar, vinegar, and 1 1/2 teaspoons minced garlic. Stir until liquid evaporates. Season with salt and pepper. Remove from heat, and cool to room temperature.

Meanwhile, preheat oven to 400. Roll out pizza dough on a lightly floured surface, then place on pizza pans. I used 4 mini pizza pans, and refrigerated remaining pizza dough.

Add 2 tablespoons oil to a sauté pan, and place on medium heat. Add shrimp and saute. Season with salt/pepper to taste. Add remaining garlic and sauté. Next add chili sauce and mix well. Remove pan from heat, and stir in 3 tablespoons cilantro.

Place pizza dough in oven, and bake until lightly brown (about 5-8 minutes). Remove pizza dough from oven, and sprinkle cheese, tomatoes, onions, shrimp, and remaining 3 tablespoons cilantro over pizzas. Bake pizza until cheese melts, and crust is a nice golden brown.

Enjoy!!

Rox

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Cereal…Oatmeal…Bacon & Eggs…Waffles…Pancakes…Smoothies…This seems to be what a lot of people have for breakfast. After awhile, all of that just gets boring. The beauty with food is you always have an opportunity to try something new.

I wanted a more sophisticated type of breakfast. One that was packed with flavor, yet healthy enough for me to eat without any guilt.

I love avocado toast. Toast up some bread, smash up a ripe avocado, smear it on the bread, and you are done. I could eat it for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. That’s how much I love it. But you can’t put it on just any bread. It has to be a nice, hearty bread, that will really compliment the flavor of the avocado.

Making just a simple avocado toast for some reason seemed boring. Felt like I needed to jazz it up. Jazz it up with some ingredients that I had of hand, but never thought about adding onto my avocado toast. Ingredients like an organic whole grain baguette, organic bella mushrooms, organic honey, and crumbled feta cheese.

All you have to do is slice up some bella mushrooms, and sauteed them in some oil.  Season lightly with salt/pepper.  Slice the whole grain baguette in 1/2 and toast.  In a bowl, add avocado flesh and smash with a fork to the consistency you desire.  When baguette is toast, smear a generous amount of smashed avocado onto both slices.  Add sauteed mushrooms.  Sprinkle some crumbled feta cheese over both sliced, and then lightly drizzle with honey.  Serve immediately.

The sauteed mushrooms added an earthy taste, the feta cheese added a slight tangy flavor, and the honey just balanced it all together.

All this deliciousness on 1 plate. Gotta love a jazzed up breakfast.

Enjoy!!

Rox

Linking up this recipe with:

The Recipe Critic

Sumo’s Sweet Stuff

Make Ahead Meals For Busy Moms

Jam Hands

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I love pasta. It’s one of my weaknesses. I could seriously eat a pasta dish EVERY…SINGLE…DAY!! You can do some much with pasta, and I love all of the different shapes/varieties.

Last week I was at my local Kroger’s grocery store, and saw this pasta on sale:

I’ve eaten trottole pasta before and loved it, so I decided to buy a package since it was on sale.

In deciding how to prepare this pasta, I knew I wanted to pair it with some broiled chicken and steamed broccoli, in a creamy sauce.

The trottole pasta cooks up in about 12-15 minutes, and holds any sauce paired with it very well.

Here is how I prepared this dish:

Creamy Sauce

1 8oz block of fat free cream cheese (cubed)
2-3 tablespoons organic butter
1/2 tablespoon minced garlic
1/4 cup fat free sour cream
1 cup organic low fat milk
1 tablespoon dried basil
salt/pepper
chicken bouillon
1/4-1/3 cup shredded parmesan cheese

Directions:

In a sauce pan add butter, and place on medium heat. Once butter starts to melt, add minced garlic and stir. When garlic starts to get slightly brown, add cream cheese and reduce heat. Whisk intermittently until cheese is melted. Once cream cheese is melted, add milk and sour cream. Whisk until sauce is smooth. Next add dried basil and seasonings. Adjust seasoning to taste and stir. When sauce starts to thicken, add parmesan cheese and whisk. When cheese is melted, remove from heat. When ready to serve, pour desired amount of sauce onto pasta and mix well.

If desired, add meat/tofu/vegetables to this dish, to complete your meal. I added broiled organic chicken breast and streamed broccoli.

And for lunch, I packed my pasta in my BRAND NEW Planetbox Shuttle. Will be posting a review very soon!!

Enjoy!!

Rox

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My kids have been home on summer vacation for officially “9″ days.  I have made a promise to myself, that I would stay committed to feeding my kids nutritious meals while on summer vacation, as well as teach them how to cook.  I told myself that I would not succumb to the pressures of fast food dining, except occasionally, and focus on preparing home cooked meals.

So today when my daughter told me she wanted a burger, I could have easily driven to the nearest fast food restaurant and purchased her a kids meal, but I knew I could make one BETTER!!

This burger was made with love, and my daughter enjoyed every bite. Who needs fast food, when you can make a delicious burger at home??!!!

Here is how to make this burger:

1. Season up a 1 pound pack of grass-fed organic ground beed with salt/pepper (or whatever seasoning you desire). Form into patties and place in freezer for about 1 hour.

2. After a hour, heat up a grill pan and once hot, place burgers on grill. If meat sticks to your grill pan easily, lightly coat grill with some oil. Place burgers on grill and cook on both sides until done to your liking.

3. While burgers are cooking, heat up some naan bread. When burgers are done, slice naan bread in half. Place burger on 1 slice of naan bread and add desired toppings. Top with the other slice and serve.

Enjoy!!

Rox

Linking up with:

Tidy Mom

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I can’t believe it’s Sunday already. Seems like this weekend FLEW by. Today I took a semi-private photography class with a local photographer named Michael Zero. It was great working with him, and learning more about my camera. My goal this summer is to step up my food photography, so I’m trying to learn as much as I can.

For dinner I decided to make a light, flavorful rice noodle salad. You can add any type of meat or firm tofu to this salad, but I decided to add shrimp. I also made a lime dressing to accompany the salad. It was very tasty, and perfect for lunch/dinner.

Here is how you make this salad:

Asian Shrimp Rice Noodle Salad

Salad

1 1/2 cups cooked whole wheat rice noodles
Medley of shredded organic red and green cabbage, sliced organic orange bell peppers, and thinly sliced organic carrots
thinly sliced organic romaine lettuce
1 cup organic bean sprouts
freshly chopped organic cilantro

Mix well and set aside until ready to use.

Lime Dressing

1/4 cup fish sauce
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed organic lime juice
1 tablespoon cooking oil
1/2 tablespoon seeded and finely chopped jalapeno
1 tablespoon sugar (omit and use sweetener of your choice if desired)
1/4 teaspoon minced garlic
1/2 cup water

Mix well and set aside until ready to use.

Lime Shrimp

1 pound peeled and deveined medium shrimp
1/2 teaspoon lime zest
1 teaspoon organic brown sugar
1/2 tablespoon freshly squeezed lime juice
1/4 teaspoon minced garlic
1 tablespoon cooking oil
2 teaspoons fish sauce
4-5 organic green onions cut in half

In a bowl, mix all ingredients except shrimp. Once mixed, add shrimp and mix well. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

When ready to cook, place grill pan of medium heat and lightly coat with some cooking oil. Once hot, drain off excess liquid off shrimp, and add shrimp to grill pan. Next add green onions, and grill until shrimp is cooked. Once done, remove from heat.

When ready to serve, add shrimp and green onions to salad mix. Next add about 1/2-3/4cups dressing to mix. Use your own judgement regarding how much dressing you want to add. You will have extra. Mix well and serve at room temperature.

And if you have leftovers, definitely pack for lunch the next day.

Asian Shrimp Rice Noodle Salad featured in my Planetbox Launch.

Enjoy!!

Rox

Linking up with:

bystephanielynn

Ms en Place

Everyday Moms Meals

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Being from the caribbean, I have a love for caribbean cuisine. One of my favorite caribbean dishes is “jerk” anything. Since starting this clean eating challenge, I’ve been looking for ways in which to cook some of my favorite meals. I have a jerk rub that I LOVE, but it calls for “brown” sugar. From all of my clean eating readings, it is STRONGLY encouraged to stay away from processed foods (including sugar). Healthy sugar alternatives include coconut/date sugar for example. Personally, I didn’t like the taste that these 2 sugars gave my rub, so I decided to keep my recipe the same and use an organic “brown” sugar. I realize that doing this does “compromise” the clean eating concept, but in this instance, I was okay with that. My motto is, “Everything in moderation”…………

Jerk Seasoning
Reciped adapted from Aaron McCargo

1 tablespoon allspice
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 cup light brown sugar (yes I know…Not clean )
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons oil

Mix well and place in a resealable container.

Tropical Slaw

3 cups shredded organic red and green cabbage combined
1/4 cup thinly sliced red onions
1/4-1/2 cup shredded organic carrots
1/8 cup chopped organic cilantro
1/8-1/4 cup diced organic mangoes (fresh)
1 tablespoon unsweetened organic sliced dried coconuts (toasted)

Mix everything in a bowl except mangoes and coconuts. When ready to serve, add mangoes and some of the orange vinaigrette (use your judgement on how much vinaigrette you want to add) to the bowl. Mix well. When ready to serve, garnish with toasted coconuts.

Orange Vinaigrette

1/4 teaspoon organic orange zest
1/2 cup freshly squeezed organic orange juice
1 tablespoon organic honey
1/2 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 clove minced garlic
2 tablespoons raw coconut nectar
1/4 cup oil
salt/pepper (to taste)

Place in food processor and blend until well combined. Once done, place in resealable container and refrigerate until ready to use. You will have extra vinaigrette, that can be used another time.

Jerk Tilapia

4-5 tilapia fillets
1/2 tablespoons oil
Jerk seasoning

Here is how you make this dish:

Place 4-5 fresh or unfrozen tilapia fillets in a glass container. Drizzle with oil and smear jerk seasoning over each fillet (front and back). Cover and place in refrigerator for at least 1-2 hrs.

Coat a cast iron grill pan with some oil, and place on medium heat. Once hot, add fillets. Grill on one side, and then flip to grill the other side. If you are worried about fillet sticking to the pan, use a saute pan, and pan fry. When fillet is thoroughly cooked, remove from skillet. Serve with tropical confetti slaw.

Enjoy!!

Rox

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I cheated yesterday on my clean eating program. Not even going to lie and say that I regretted it. Was out to dinner with a friend whom I hadn’t seen in awhile, and I gladly shared some cheesecake with her. So I just chalked up yesterday as the past, and started fresh and new today.

For today’s clean eating dinner, I wanted to try some forbidden black rice. I had read a lot about it, and got excited when I found it at Whole Foods. It cooks up just like regular white rice, and taste a lot like wild rice in my opinion. This is definitely a rice I’ll make on a regular basis.

Forbidden Black Rice & Glazed Salmon

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups cooked Forbidden Black Rice
1/4 cup natural rice vinegar
1 1/2 tablespoon high quality olive oil
1 tablespoon fresh organic lime juice
3 tablespoons premium soy sauce
1 tablespoon maple syrup
2 tablespoons organic honey
2 teaspoons sesame oil
2 teaspoon sriracha hot sauce
1 pound wild caught salmon fillet (cut into 4 pieces)
1/2 cup sauteed mushrooms
1/2 cups sauteed yellow squash and zucchini mix
1/2 cup diced organic onions
1/4 cup diced organic bell peppers
2 tablespoons chopped organic green onions (green part only)
2 tablespoons chopped organic cilantro
salt/pepper to taste

Directions:

In a bowl, mix together the vinegar, 1 tablespoon olive oil, lime juice, soy sauce, maple syrup, honey, sesame oil, sriracha, and salt/pepper. Place cut salmon in a ziploc bag and add 3/4 cup of the sauce. Seal and place in refrigerator. Allow salmon to marinate in sauce for at least 1 hour.

In a saute’ pan, add 1/2 tablespoon oil and place on medium heat. Once oil is hot, add diced peppers and onions. Saute’ until both start to soften. Next add already sauteed squash, zucchini, and mushrooms to the pan and mix well. After about 1-2 minutes, add green onions and cilantro. Mix well. Season mix with salt/pepper if desired. Next add 1 1/2 cups of cooked black rice to saute’ pan and mix well to incorporate all of the vegetables. Remove from heat and cover until ready to use.

When the salmon is ready to be cooked, preheat oven broiler on high. Dry off excess liquid off salmon and place on a lightly oiled cast iron grill pan (skin side up). Place cast iron skillet under broiler until skin starts to get crispy. Flip salmon over to insure that the meat part also gets cooked to your liking. Once done, remove salmon from broiler and place on a plate. Drizzle some of the remaining marinate over salmon and serve salmon with the black rice.

And let me tell you about my Laptop Lunches Bento Buddies . Laptop Lunches was recently having an anniversary sale, and I decided to purchase their bento buddies. I had already owned the Laptop Lunches Bento Lunch Box, but I liked the fact that buddy came with all sealed containers. And they were different sizes, so you could mix and match, and pack a variety of foods without worrying if the container would leak. I seriously LOVE the bento buddies, and am so happy I decided to buy it.

Another favorite is my Easylunchbox. So easy to pack and the perfect size to satisfy any appetite.

So as you can see, packing leftovers for lunch is a breeze.

Enjoy!!

Rox

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